Human Mobility

Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressing a high-level event on the Global Compact on Refugees, held under the theme “A Model for Greater Solidarity and Cooperation” at the UN, New York on 24 September 2018

Bangladesh is a major migrant sending country. Remittance plays a huge role in emboldening our economy. At present, we are also harboring more than 1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas from neighboring Myanmar. Bangladesh is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention. But Bangladesh joined both the Global Compact of Migration (GCM) and Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). In fact, Bangladesh was first to coin the idea at United Nations of having a separate Global Compact for migrants. Therefore, we attach great importance to any global debate on human mobility.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque co-chairs the dialogue on “Partnerships and innovative initiatives for the way forward” at the Intergovernmental Conference on the Global Compact for Migration, taking place in Marrakech, Morocco, 10-11 December 2018

Bangladesh actively participated in the negotiation of New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (2016) and in the process of framing GCM and GCR (2017-18). Bangladesh hosted the 9th Global Forum on Migration and Development in Dhaka in December, 2016. Bangladesh along with Spain co-facilitated the intergovernmental consultation and negotiation to develop modalities for the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF).

Bangladesh is presently co-chairing the ‘Friends of Migration’ in New York along with Mexico, Benin and Ireland.